


A Broken Soul and a Shattered Heart

by Sillus



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Death, Everyone Needs A Hug, Fighting, Graphic Violence, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, I'm probably making it sound worse than it actually is, It's all fun and games until someone gets too curious, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Not a Happy Story, The Author Regrets Everything, The Author Regrets Nothing, This is not for the light of heart, but like, i did a bad thing, its bad, jUst dID a bAD thING, please dont read this if you dont like violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 00:37:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20331148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sillus/pseuds/Sillus
Summary: That’s not what makes Legend’s blood run cold.That honor goes to the dark shadows swirling over his small figure, seeping from his skin and leaving it an ashen color.The glow from his bracelet catches his eye.He’s not protected,Legend realizes in horror.





	A Broken Soul and a Shattered Heart

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE HEED THE TAGS!!!!!  
So, this happened.  
I regret everything and nothing  
Kind of a sequel to A Concerning Oddity, but you don't need to read it to understand the fic. It'll explain why someone knows more than he should, and make the pain worse.  
I hope you (somehow) enjoy!  
Warning: READ THE DAMN TAGS

It is not often that the group knows where they are when they first teleport to a different Hyrule. In fact, the majority of the time, they land in some random patch of woods or a field, no landmarks in sight.

Legend thinks this is exactly what has happened this time around. After taking one look at his surroundings and seeing nothing but tall trees and a thick canopy above them, a groan builds up in his throat. Just as he goes to release his verbal frustration, Four beats him to it, grabbing everyone’s attention.

“This is my Hyrule,” he says.

Warriors throws an arm around Hyrule’s shoulders, taking the chance to ruffle his hair while Hyrule is still processing the action. “Well, he’s kinda _everyone’s_ Hyrule,” Warriors says with a grin. Hyrule smacks his hands away.

“You have made that joke _far_ too many times,” he mutters as everyone else lets out a good-natured chuckle.

“All joking aside, we’re in the Forest of Light. We’re not too far from Kakariko Village,” Four explains.

“It’s uh…” Wind squints at the trees, “Not very… light.”

“Yeah,” Four sighs, giving the forest a pointed glare. “It’s been several years since my last journey, and these woods have never fully recovered from when Vaati took over. I would go as far as saying they have _barely_ recovered.”

“What does that mean for us?” Time asks, looking around warily.

“Ever heard of Floormasters?”

Time’s wariness sours into something bordering nervousness. It’s an odd expression to see on such a stoic man’s face. Meanwhile, Wind lets out a groan of his own while Legend himself sighs in annoyance. He _hates _floormasters.

Everyone else, however, shakes their head.

“I’ve heard of Wallmasters?” Hyrule offers.

“They’re basically the same thing,” Legend tells him. Hyrule shivers.

“Oh no.”

“What are Floormasters?” Warriors asks.

“My nightmare fuel, apparently,” Hyrule mumbles under his breath.

“They’re basically these giant hands that like to kidnap you, or your stuff, and halt your progress,” Four begins. “They’re creepy as hell and a pain to deal with.”

“Oh, _those_ things?” Twilight grumbles. “Screw those things!”

“Wallmasters do that,” Time corrects, ignoring Twilight. “Floormasters steal your magic.”

“Really?” Wind chimes in. “I’ve never heard of Wallmasters though.”

“I thought you said they were basically the same thing?” Hyrule whispers to Legend.

“They are,” Legend replies, “For me at least.”

Four clears his throat, grabbing everyone’s attention again before more confusion can occur. “I don’t know how they work in your Hyrule, but here, they come from the ground and will try to grab you. If they do, you are dragged into a warped version of our reality.”

“That sounds very unpleasant,” Sky mutters. He doesn’t seem to like the thought of being in another version of reality. Legend wonders if he has prior experience with that.

“It’s not terrible,” Four continues. “Unpleasant, yes, but that’s their only goal. They won’t outright hurt you. You might get some bruises from where they grabbed you, but that’s it.”

“A warped version of reality?” Twilight muses, a far-away look in his eyes.

“If one of you get caught, don’t panic. I’ll come find you. I know where all the gates leading back to the real world are.”

Gates, huh? A warped version of reality? Legend narrows his eyes as Four begins leading them through the dark forest. Those are a little _too_ familiar for Legend’s liking.

“What’s the best way to fight them?” Warriors asks from beside Four.

“Don’t bother,” Four huffs. “I’ve never been able to kill one. My weapons phase right through them.”

“Great,” Warriors grumbles, shoulders slumping as he looks around. Legend falls into step beside Sky, who looks just as wary as everyone else, but also unsettled.

The so-called Forest of Light seems devoid of any life, aside from the massive trees providing shade from the sun, and themselves. While Four walks with confidence, Legend can’t help but feel like the deeper they go, the more likely they are to get lost. It reminds him of the Lost Woods back in his own time, and in Time’s. But this place… it has an eeriness to it that has Legend’s senses on high alert. At least in the other creepy forests there were _some_ forms of life, even if they were monsters.

But this is Four’s Hyrule. The thought gives Legend a little comfort, even as their surroundings darken as they keep walking.

Sky is a jittery, twitchy mess from his place next to Legend. He keeps looking behind them—as they are at the back of the group. Legend follows his gaze as Sky turns his head to look back once more, raising an eyebrow at him when nothing appears.

“What has you so nervous?” Legend asks.

Sky sighs, clasping his hands together. “I thought I heard something, but it must’ve been my imagination.”

“In a forest as dead as this one? If you think you heard something, you probably did.”

As soon as the words leave Legend’s mouth, something wraps itself around his middle and _yanks_. He yelps as his feet leave the ground and the object—a _hand_—squeezes, pinning his right arm to his side. With his left, Legend scrabbles to pry the dark purple fingers off while the others cry out in alarm. Sky lunges at him, trying to grab Legend’s legs, but the floormaster pulls him out of reach and suddenly everything is upside-down and then black.

Legend floats in the darkness, the hand having disappeared. He can’t move, can’t breathe, can’t _feel_. It’s maddening, being stuck in this void every time one of those goddess damn hands grab him. He never knows how much time goes by; seconds, minutes, hours? Sometimes, he thinks he’ll never return from this place, left to go insane and rot away.

But then he feels ground under his body. Legend can open his eyes—when had they closed? —and can see the tall trees and the dark canopy above him. He sits up, taking stock of himself. Sword, check. Shield, check. His ridiculous amount of items, check. Seventeen rings, check.

_How did I get into the Dark World from Four’s Hyrule?_

It’s unmistakable. Legend can feel the tainted magic surrounding him, floating through the air. While his immediate surroundings are unfamiliar, that sense of _wrongness_ is still there. The feeling of being in a place that he shouldn’t have the capability of existing in drowns out any inklings of fear or confusion. _Leave this place,_ it tells him, _you do not belong here!_

And yet, as Legend stands up and begins looking for a trail to follow, there is a sacred sensation underlying the distinct wrongness. He does not belong here, but this place wasn’t always evil.

Or… is it _not_ evil?

While the magic in the air is tainted, Legend can’t sense the blatant corruption that had spread to every inch of the Dark World. He also notices the distinct lack of a glow coming from his bracelet, where he had embedded the moonpearl in the leather—which still smells like a wet dog, but less strong now.

“Legend!”

Legend jumps, effectively dragged from his thoughts as he turns to find the source of the voice. He sees Four jogging toward him, a hand raised in a wave to catch his attention.

“Are you okay?” The smaller hero asks when he reaches Legend’s side.

“Nothing’s broken, so I’m going to say yes,” Legend replies absentmindedly. Did Four get snatched up as well? He doesn’t remember seeing a second floormaster, but Legend _had_ been rather startled to be picked up like he weighed nothing and dragged into a void.

“Good!” Four gives him a cheery nod. “Follow me, then. One of the Gates isn’t too far from here,”

“Yeah, about that,” Legend starts, keeping pace with Four. “What is this place?”

“This is that warped reality thing I was talking about,” Four replies easily. “You got dumped here by the floormaster. Normally, getting stuck here is incredibly dangerous since the Gates aren’t exactly easy to find and you can’t leave the forest while here, but—”

“No, Four,” Legend interrupts, “what is this place called?”

Four gives him an odd look. “It was always called the Dark World, but that name never really fit this place to begin with. In short, it’s simply a warped version of Hyrule.”

No wonder Four’s earlier explanation sounded so familiar. No wonder this place feels so familiar yet so different. This is the very Dark World that Legend traversed in his first journey before Ganon ever got his hands on the Triforce.

“The Sacred Realm,” Legend murmurs. The Sacred Realm that’s still _sacred_.

“Sorry?” Four is peering at him now.

“This isn’t the Dark World yet,” Legend continues, louder so Four can hear him properly, “this is the Sacred Realm.”

Four stops walking, and Legend follows suit. “How do you know?” Four asks.

“You can feel it,” Legend says, “This place is holy, but we don’t belong here. You _can_ feel it, can’t you?”

Four doesn’t answer his question. He doesn’t have to. “You said this place isn’t the Dark World yet. What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said: This place isn’t the Dark World yet. Ganon hasn’t gotten the Triforce yet." Legend crosses his arms, eyeing his surroundings in disdain. “At least, this is for _my_ time period.”

“That’s…” Four trails off. Legend chuckles.

“Crazy, isn’t it?” He offers. “This teleporting nonsense continues to surprise us everyday, huh?”

Four rolls his eyes. “Yeah, no kidding.” He starts walking again and Legend follows.

“Say,” Legend begins, his curiosity effectively piqued, “if you mettle with things here, does it affect the Light World?”

Four shoots him a mischievous grin. “Oh yes. In fact, I’ll show you when I get the opportunity.”

Legend notes that Four said when and not if. They continue walking, Legend finding that the terrain is similar to that of the Light World’s but distorted just enough to differ from its counterpart. Everything seems to move as if it were a lazy wave on the surface of a lake, and the trees sprout branches that twist and curl in a way that’s far too weird to be natural. It doesn’t take too long for them to find a group of seven very familiar shadows.

“Are those…” Legend begins, eyes widening when he sees the smallest shadow steal a scarf from a taller shadow. Four nods with a grin.

“That’s them in the Light World. If they were to look down at the ground, they would see our shadows, but not our bodies. Here, their shadows take a physical form that we can interact with. They, however, can’t lay a finger on us.”

Legend smirks. “I can see where you’re going with this.”

Four saunters over to the group with a cheeky grin. “Watch and learn.”

He plucks the scarf from what is undoubtedly Wind’s hands and begins running around, waving the garment. “You can’t actually feel them,” Four explains as the others begin trying to grab the scarf. “You have to concentrate a little, but the results are worth it!”

“Four, you are a _genius_,” Legend laughs. Four lets the scarf drop to the ground with a laugh of his own, and they watch as the others begin flailing their arms in confusion. Twilight’s shadow stands with half of its body phasing through Four.

“The only downside is that we can’t actually hear what they’re saying,” Four adds.

As Warriors goes to pick up his precious scarf, Legend takes the opportunity to sweep his feet out from underneath him. Warriors crashes to the ground, and Legend can almost _hear_ the surprised squawking. He and Four share another laugh as the others begin wildly looking around. Just as they begin milling about in confusion after failing to find the two culprits, Four lunges at Time and steals his _gauntlet_, then bolts.

“Come on!” Four shouts as the other shadows start giving chase. Legend runs after him, using the Pegasus Boots to catch up. Four’s legs may be small, but he is easily the most agile out of everyone, and deceptively quick. “We can lead them to the Gate I’m taking you to!”

“What about the floormasters?” Legend questions, taking the gauntlet just as Sky goes to grab it.

“They won’t appear until after we’ve left,” Four replies, knocking Wind’s hands away as they reach for their treasure. “Just follow me!”

In a game of chase, Four and Legend manage to keep their hands on Time’s gauntlet, even with the others having longer limbs. At one point, the others give up trying to take it back and simply sprint after the two. Four has their prize when they come to a stop beside a white marking embedded in the ground.

“Just step on it,” Four tells him, “It’ll do the rest.”

With a shrug, Legend steps onto the white sigil and feels the world twist and bend around him, reminding him of when he used the mirror to travel between the Dark and Light worlds. Perhaps the magic is the same? The sigil certainly looks similar.

When the light fades, Legend sees the others staring at him with wide, surprised eyes.

“Sup?”

“You’re really back!” Wind exclaims, latching himself onto Legend’s arm in the kid’s version of a hug. Legend ruffles his hair in return.

“Yeah, Four fetched me.” He looks to his left and sees Time’s gauntlet floating in the air beside him. Looking down, he sees an all too familiar shadow. “He should be back any second.”

“Good. We can ask him about why Time’s glove developed a mind of its own,” Twilight mutters, but Legend can see him trying not to crack up. Wild has no such concerns about keeping face and lets out a snicker. He sees Hyrule bite back a smile.

Four then chooses this exact moment to materialize next to him in a flash of white, the gauntlet tucked to his chest by his arms. He wears a shit-eating grin as he offers it to Time.

“Did you lose something?”

Time snatches up his gauntlet as Twilight breaks and laughs alongside Wild and Hyrule. The rest just look confused. It seems those three caught on—or at least partially caught on.

“Why yes,” Time drawls, “I did. Thank you for returning it to me.”

After some light-hearted teasing and demands to know how Four managed to steal the _gauntlet _of all things, they resume their trek through the woods. Even with their delay, the group manages to make it to Karkariko before nightfall with only one other sighting of a floormaster, which they all managed to avoid. Along the way, Four explains how the distorted reality works in relation to the Light World. He neglects to mention that the distorted reality is the Sacred Realm _and _a world Legend is, unfortunately, familiar with. He appreciates Four even more right then.

When they arrive in the village, Four gets them settled into an inn.

“Where do we go from here?” Time asks as they figure out who bunks with who.

“We’re nowhere near any other kinds of civilization,” Four replies. “My home is weeks away from here. The closest settlement is the Gerudo Tribe in the desert, and that’s at least a week away from here. There _is _an old temple not far from here, maybe half a day’s worth of walking. Considering the Forest of Light and its history, if anything is amiss here, it’ll be in that temple.”

* * *

A month and a half has passed since then. The temple, called the Temple of Darkness, had nothing of note in it except for a few infected monsters and lots of sneezing thanks to the sheer amount of dust. Not even the puzzles had been reset from when Four first went through it.

Though, they _did_ find a comically large bomb in a tiny chest. Four had some colorful language for that hidden treasure. Then again, everyone did, because the fuse decided to light itself and they only had ten seconds to find suitable shelter.

Shadow is such an _asshole_.

From there, they hopped from Hyrule to Hyrule, Warriors abusing the “He’s everyone’s Hyrule!” joke, if only for the annoyed looks he keeps getting from said hero in response. Wild, for both his own amusement and to get revenge for Hyrule, has taken to making exceedingly terrible puns centered around Warriors’ name.

So really, they have been up to their usual nonsense.

Now, the group finds themselves in Legend’s Hyrule, high in the mountains with the sun just beginning to dip below the horizon. Legend had immediately recognized their surroundings and had let out a flurry of expletives. Nobody needed to ask who’s Hyrule it was—which spared them from Warriors’ joke and Wild’s horrific puns.

“We should be good to camp out here,” Legend says, coming to a stop in a small clearing surrounded by boulders. “There aren’t a lot of monsters up here anymore, but you can never be too careful.”

“I’ll take first watch then,” Four volunteers.

After setting up camp and assisting Wild with dinner—because Hylia knows he’s the _only _one somewhat capable of using utensils meant to prepare food—Four straps his sword back on and makes his laps around the campsite while everyone else begins to settle down for the night. As he does so, he takes the time to appreciate the view of Legend’s Hyrule spread out before him. At this point, the group has been to every version of Hyrule that they know of, and Four can’t say he has found one he dislikes. Knowing that these other lands come after his time makes all his journeying to protect his home worth it.

A strange sensation tugs him back to the present. Curious, Four follows the pull of what is undoubtedly magic, reminded of the Gates in his own time period. The sensation grows into a strong surge when he stops near a large rock, beckoning him to find it. One part of himself wants to turn around and leave the strange energy alone, perhaps ask Legend about it later. The other parts are too curious for his own good.

His mind made up, Four begins to poke around the rock he found. He quickly finds that the rock isn’t significant whatsoever, but rather the magic is coming from _underneath_ it.

With a grunt, Four manages to shove the rock aside. What he sees is a _very _familiar sigil in the ground. There are some differences: for one, it’s smaller, and it’s blue, but the similarities are more than enough for Four to recognize it.

With his inquisitive side all but screaming at him to investigate, Four steps onto the Gate and watches the world bend and warp around him.

Meanwhile, Legend perks up at the familiar sense of something being _off_, accidentally cutting off Warriors from his “thrilling story”.

“What’s wrong?” Warriors asks as Legend stands up and grabs his sword and his bag of items.

“I don’t know. I’m gonna take a look, see if Four has found anything. Will you watch the camp?”

Warriors frowns. “You sure you wanna go off by yourself?”

Legend nods. “I’ll be fine. This is my Hyrule, and I’m just gonna go find Four.”

Warriors sends him off with a _be careful_, settling down by the fire and keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. Legend climbs out of the campsite and lets his feet lead him, his mind focused on the magical energy tainting the air.

It takes him less than two minutes to find the Portal, the rock he specifically used to cover the sigil pushed aside.

“Shit,” Legend hisses, drawing his sword and readying his mirror. When he reaches the Dark World, blinking the blind spots out of his eyes from the light, he immediately sees Four hunched over and trembling mere steps from him.

That’s not what makes Legend’s blood run cold.

That honor goes to the dark shadows swirling over his small figure, seeping from his skin and leaving it an ashen color.

The glow from his bracelet catches his eye.

_He’s not protected,_ Legend realizes in horror.

Four takes that moment to stand up straight and turn around, and it’s a scene straight out of Legend’s nightmares—no, _memories_.

Four’s face is twisted in a mix between agony and rage, and with his sword in hand, two glowing red eyes set their sights on Legend.

* * *

_Link tightens his grip on the final sword, the handle of this one being violet. The other three, green, red, and blue respectively, are haphazardly strapped to his back with one of his old tunics acting as a makeshift sheath._

_The image of his uncle lying on the ground and bleeding haunts him for the first time in months. He knows it was an illusion Blind the Second had illustrated to catch him off guard, but the sight is now burned into his mind for the second time._

_A dirty trick, and it worked. Link nearly lost his life yet again._

_Scrubbing away unshed tears, Link steadies himself by redoing his sheath to accommodate for the fourth sword. There are no other places to go in this temple besides the path that’s blocked off by the magical barrier. Maybe collecting these swords can help get rid of it, seeing as how even the Master Sword wasn’t enough._

_No longer in danger of crying, Link retraces his steps and makes his way back to the magical barrier. Just as he thought, the barrier dissipates as soon as he swings his sword at it. The monsters that appear and attempt to stop him are quickly dealt with, Link suffering from minor scrapes and bruises as a result, but he keeps going._

_When he reaches the last room, the door behind him slams shut. Link readies his sword, his heart beginning to pound in his chest. Another boss?_

_The swords he collected spring free of their sheath. They float around him, slowly moving farther away until they pause in the four corners of the room. Dark, shadowy smoke leaks from the blades, the four gems in the hilts shining their respective color._

_In a flash, four men—**boys**—stand where the swords were, the weapons now in their hands. The smoke surrounds them, obscuring their faces and washing out the colors of their tunics and skin, their eyes being the only bright color, and they were glowing red. Link unhooks his shield, carefully turning around in an attempt to keep them all in his sight._

_The green one lunges forward first, and almost immediately, the fight turns into a desperate battle for survival. Link uses every technique he has ever learned, rolling and slashing and jumping and parrying with every ounce of his strength. The four boys give back everything Link delivers plus more, and Link is soon covered in wounds ranging from shallow scratches to deep gashes._

_He takes down the red one first. He had swung his shield at its head while he countered the blue one, and when it fell to the ground, he stomped on its neck and felt the bone snap underneath his foot. It only serves to make the others angrier, the distinct sounds of fighting now intertwined with agonized screaming. With less things to keep track of, Link takes down the green one next, stabbing his sword through its abdomen and ripping it out. It crumples to the ground and doesn’t get back up._

_Two left. The violet one launches itself at him, swinging its blade round and round while the blue one uses a cape to jump high into the air, aiming its blade downward as it falls. Link ducks and rolls forward, the violet one’s sword flying over him and this blue one’s sword stabbing into the ground with a resounding crack. It struggles to pull it back out, and Link doesn’t wait to slash his sword across its back and let it fall to the ground._

_The violet one remains, not giving Link a chance to recover before locking their swords together in a deadly dance. Both Link and the violet one land a couple blows on their opponent but are otherwise evenly matched and there are no clear signs of a victor._

_At least, until the blue one stumbles to its feet._

_Link, who spots it out of the corner of his eye, has a moment of sheer panic. Not thinking about the potential consequences of leaving himself open to the violet one, Link unleashes a great spin attack and lobs the blue one’s head clean off its shoulders._

_He is extremely lucky that his attack caught the violet one off guard. It staggers back from the force of his sword, and Link seizes his chance. He knocks the violet one down, kicks its weapon away, and stabs his own into its chest. It screams while its fingers claw at his arms despite its wound. In response, Link pulls his weapon out and stabs down again, eyes squeezed shut as the scream grows louder and the fingers desperate. It takes two more stabs for the violet one to finally go limp, the shadows dissipating from its body and leaving behind a boy with ash-colored skin and deep, red wounds oozing darkened blood._

_He is not much older than Link, and the thought makes him scramble off the body—**corpse**—and retreat to the entrance of the room, his back turned to the four boys he had just murdered._

** _They were corrupted by the Dark World_ ** _, his mind supplies, trying to ease the horror and guilt. **They weren’t human anymore.**_

_But they were. Their bodies haven’t disappeared into black smoke like the rest of the monsters Link has defeated. He can smell the rotten stench of their corpses, and he can feel the blood drying to his skin. Sure, they were corrupted, but they weren’t monsters._

_He just killed **people**._

_“H-hello?”_

_Link startles badly at the timid voice, whirling around to see a fifth boy standing in the middle of the room among the bloodied floor and the bodies. Before Link can panic at the prospect of **another **battle, he notices that the boy has no weapon, and is standing hunched forward with his arms around his sides. _ _He looks just like the other four, but instead of having shadows swirl around him, he has teal flames. Link notes that he is transparent and the same color as those flames._

_“Who are you?” Link questions in a trembling voice. The spirit stares at him for a moment, then turns his gaze to the bodies lying on the floor._

_“I think I was them, but I don’t remember.”_

_Link doesn’t see the spirit ever again. He must have disappeared while Link, after sinking to his knees, was screaming and wailing at the gods for making him do this to the boy._

* * *

Legend’s hands are shaking, his heart is pounding, and he can’t tear his eyes from Four’s.

Four, who has taken the form of the four boys he had fought when he was merely fourteen. It was the hardest battle of his life, second only to his first fight against Ganon.

The Dark World is known for taking what is in the mind and hearts of those who enter it and transforming them into a physical form to represent it. The greed of many people ended up with them venturing into the Dark World and turning into monsters.

But Four… Legend sees that Four does not have greedy or sinister thoughts in his heart and mind. He sees that Four is simply broken beyond repair, and the darkness that has melded with this once holy land has taken advantage of this, sinking its claws into him and turning him into a corrupted, dark shadow of who he once was.

_It was Four. **I killed** **Four**._

And yet, here Legend stands, not at all ready to raise his blade against his _friend_, but he knows he has no choice. He knows he’s going to have to kill Four _again_ when his friend lets out a distorted screech and attacks him just like the green one—_Green—_did all those years ago. Legend is forced back, blocking Four’s attacks with his shield. He can’t do this. _He can’t do this. _Four is too young. Legend can’t kill another person.

His foot lands on the temporary sigil left behind by the mirror, and the magic whisks him away to the Light World. Legend stumbles back, panting, trembling.

The Portal turns from blue to white, and suddenly, Four is in front of him again, thrusting his sword forward in an attempt to stab him. Legend yells and jerks to the side just enough for the stab to mostly miss, resulting in a slash on his side.

_Fuck fuck fuck fuck!_

Four is ruthless, his attacks precise and _fast_. Legend can barely keep up with him, earning a few more cuts when he fails to effectively block them. He can’t even attempt to reach his items.

“Legend!” Warriors shouts, and Legend’s heart soars when he hears it. He remembers that he is not alone this time, and maybe, _just maybe_, he can restrain Four just enough to figure out how to fix this.

Four halts his offensive at the sight of Warriors running toward them. In a flash of light, Four holds his sword up and Legend’s heart nearly stops in his chest when he realizes what he’s doing.

“Warriors, _stop_!” Legend yells, backing away as Four splits. “Get the others!”

“I can’t leave you alone!” Warriors protests, reaching Legend’s side. Legend grabs his arm and begins running, dragging Warriors along. The four boys scream in fury and give chase.

“What’s going on?” Warriors demands, pulling his arm free in favor of unsheathing his sword. “Is that _Four_?”

“Long story short, Four got corrupted by evil bullshit and is trying to kill us,” Legend explains. “He doesn’t recognize us, and he won’t stop for anything. We have to figure out how to purify or seal him. Also, he split into four separate bodies.”

“Understood,” Warriors replies, and Legend doesn’t have time to reflect on how weird it is for Warriors to cooperate so easily with him.

While they run, Legend tugs his fire rod free from his bag and swings it behind them, hoping the flames will force the shades to slow down. Instead, his flames collide with another set of flames, and Legend is very thankful that he had chosen that exact moment to use his fire rod. He did not know Four had one of his own.

“Get up!” Warriors hollers when he and Legend get close to the campsite. “Get up! We’re under attack!”

Legend whips around and sprays more flames at the shades, buying time for the others to get here. He does not account for Blue barreling through them with his shield burning to a crisp in his hands. Before Legend can dodge, Blue tackles him to the ground, and Legend loses his grip on the fire rod. They grapple there, Legend fighting to throw Blue off of him and Blue a _lot_ stronger than Legend first assumed. The shade lands a dizzying punch that has Legend seeing stars, and the next thing he knows is that Blue is above him with his own sword in his hands, the tip pointing at Legend’s throat.

Blue lets out a shriek just as Legend raises his hands to try and block the sword, his weapon falling from Blue’s grasp, and cutting into his skin as he catches it, and Blue scrambling off of him with an arrow protruding from his shoulder. Legend clambers to his feet and sees Wild drawing back the string of his bow with another arrow loaded from atop a rock.

Twilight and Warriors are fighting Red, who is running circles around the two and doing more damage than Legend would like. Vio is shooting back at Wild with a bow of his own while running from Wind and Sky. Green is fending off Hyrule and Time, using Hyrule’s magic against them.

Blue rips the arrow from his shoulder and roars in fury. Legend readies himself, eyes scanning for any kind of weak point or a way to incapacitate him. Wild and the others have his back. It’s two-to-one in their favor. They can _do this._

Or so Legend thought. As he tries to one-up Blue, he sees Warriors fall with his tunic stained red. Twilight screams his name as Red bombards him with slash after slash. Sky takes a hit in Wind’s place, Vio’s sword wedged into Sky’s now useless right arm. Wind goes to attack Vio, but Sky snaps something at him, and Wind nods and runs back to the campsite.

Blue knocks Legend’s shield out of his hand with a hammer, but Legend manages to fling the hammer away with his sword. They are so much stronger this time around. How had Legend taken on all four of them at once?

Wild dashes past him, rushing toward Sky, who is pointing the Master Sword at Vio. Vio has his bow at the ready, and arrows cut in half are scattered around the two.

Hyrule is sprawled out on the ground, Green’s sword sticking out of his stomach. Green is using Hyrule’s sword as a claymore against Time, who is struggling to land a hit.

They’re losing this battle, and Legend can do _nothing_ but try and take down Blue.

At one point, Time stuns Green long enough to stab the sword into his chest, pinning him to the ground. Green writhes as he pulls out a mask that sports his face and markings and puts it on. As the apparently magical mask begins to alter Time’s body, Red downs Twilight and points the fire rod at him.

Legend doesn’t see what happens next, as Blue steals his attention once more, but judging from the smell of charred flesh and the sound of agonized screaming, Legend can put two and two together.

And then, there’s a streak of blinding, golden light. It hits Red right in his chest, and he shrieks as the light tears at his body. He disappears, leaving behind a sword covered in dark smoke and a fire rod. A second streak of light flies toward Blue, but he jumps away before it can touch him. Legend takes the chance to go on the offensive. As he does so, he spies Wind standing on the same rock Wild had been, wielding a bow with what can only be light arrows.

The fight doesn’t last much longer. Wind keeps shooting the light arrows, and eventually, he hits Vio just as Sky finally collapses after holding the shade off alongside Wild for a surprisingly long time. Blue is the next to go, Legend keeping him still just long enough for Wind to finish him off. Green is the last one remaining, still pinned down by Time’s sword. Wind quickly puts the shade out of its misery.

The silence is deafening. Wild is trying to get Sky to drink a potion while Wind slowly climbs down from the rocks. Legend sits on the ground, a hand clutching at the gash in his shoulder. Wind joins him, green eyes dull.

“My light arrows don’t hurt people,” Wind murmurs. Legend turns to him with a raised eyebrow as Wind continues, “My light arrows destroy darkness. Four should be sealed in his swords.”

So, Four isn’t dead. Legend looks around the battlefield, spotting Time’s burned remains and Hyrule utterly still with a dark sword sticking out of his stomach. Twilight and Warriors have more cuts in their skin than actual skin, Twilight missing an arm. Four isn’t dead, but at what price?

How did it come to this? Wind lets out a sob and leans into Legend’s side. Legend unconsciously wraps an arm around Wind’s shoulders, ignoring the pain. Why did this happen? Could Legend have prevented this?

Wild walks over, and Sky doesn’t follow. His eyes are carefully blank as he mutters, “Sky didn’t make it.”

Legend feels his heart shatter as his brain finally fully registers what had just happened. They’re the only ones remaining. One of their own had been corrupted, and as a result, only three out of the nine heroes remain. Grief threatens to overcome his senses, and Legend can’t formulate a response as Wild sits down on his other side and nudges his hand away from his injuries. What were they going to tell their families? _Malon_?

No.

Legend slaps Wild’s hands away, pushing himself onto unsteady legs. His grief turns into a cold, _dangerous_ fury, and it slowly begins to build up and up until Legend can hardly see straight. He finds his bag, the strap having been cut off by Blue earlier, and rifles through it.

“Fuck Ganon,” Legend snarls, “Fuck Hylia. Fuck the Triforce. Fuck the Shadow. Fuck the entire damn flow of time.”

He pulls out the Harp of Ages.

“Nayru,” Legend growls, holding the harp in one hand and tuning it with the other, “this is how you pay me back for saving your ass.”

Wind continues to cry, now holding on to Wild. Wild has curled around the boy, eyes shining with concern as Legend experimentally strums the harp.

Legend is not about to let this stand. He refuses to let this be the fate of his friends. He didn’t want to get attached to these idiots, but he did, and now Legend has to save them. He has the power to change everything. Hylia wanted to drag her heroes on yet another quest, after all, and Legend doubts she’s done using them just yet. Time and Sky have a family to return to, Twilight has a village to take care of, Warriors has an entire kingdom to return to, Hyrule has a life to live beyond saving the world over and over, and Four does not deserve to suffer and wither away in his sword for possibly hundreds of years all because of a simple mistake Legend could have easily prevented had he just spoken up about the Portals.

Legend plays the harp in earnest, and the world goes black.

**Author's Note:**

> *nonchalant whistling*  
So, uh...  
Did you know that in FSA, if you're in the Dark World and your companions aren't, you can pick them up and carry them around from the Dark World?  
...  
I'm not sorry.  
Besides that, I'm not sure how to continue this at the moment, but there is more planned for this fic.  
Also, sorry about my fight scenes lol I'm not great at writing them.  
I hope you (somehow) enjoyed!


End file.
